Most Americans associate July 4 as the day when the original 13 British colonies declared their independence from Britain.  Fourth of July parades and community celebrations often honor those, who have provided military service throughout the years and have fought to protect our freedoms including the freedom of religion and freedom of speech.  But, July 4 is also a fitting time to honor those who are still serving our country a half a world away.

Today we’re honoring a local military family, Latham Customer Support Specialist, Julie Kaduce and her husband Jonathan. They are the proud parents of three:  Natasha is a member of the Army Reserves;  Christopher is employed by Fareway in Belmond and has blessed them with their first grandson, Drake, who is 18 month old; and their youngest daughter, Lea, will be a junior this fall at West Fork High School in Sheffield.

“While we didn’t talk much about military service as she was growing up, Natasha seemed always to have an interest,” says Julie. “She frequently visited goarmy.com, and when she was in junior high, she was excited to get the t-shirt she’d ordered from that site.”

Upon graduating from high school in 2007, Natasha earned a cosmetology degree from the Salon Professional Academy in Ames, Iowa.  She then joined the Army after receiving her cosmetology license.  She also wanted to return to college to further her education and finished her first year at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) one month early to start basic training.  She graduated basic training in 2010 with honors in Fort Sill, OK.

Natasha was deployed on a special mission to Botswana, Africa, for one month last summer.  She is serving now through next summer with her unit in the Middle East.  Her current mission involves providing medical support in the area of approved food sources, facility sanitation, procurement and surveillance inspection of food and environmental zoonotic disease hazards.  She’s also providing support for veterinary services for military working dogs (MWDs) on duty.

Volunteer to Serve

Military members feel called to serve, and civilians can express appreciation for their service by assisting on the home front.  When servicemen and women are deployed for long periods of time, Julie says life is very different for their families.  Life can become downright challenging for husbands, wives, parents, children and even extended family members.

“One way to support our troops is to get involved with programs that benefit their families. Sometimes just being available to their families is enough.  You can help make life changing differences for military families through organizations like the National Military Family Association and Our Military Kids.

It’s also important to make sure young Americans know the significance of Independence Day and understand the important role the U.S. military plays in protecting our freedoms still today.  Teach patriotism to your children and grandchildren.  Click here for related holiday activities and crafts.

You can also celebrate your freedom with patriotic foods and holiday potlucks.  Today Julie is sharing one of her family’s favorite salads.  She says it’s great for summer potlucks because it doesn’t contain mayonnaise.  This salad was served in early May when family and friends gathered for Natasha’s sendoff party.  We’re especially honored to post this recipe today as Julie rarely grants requests for it.  She says, “This recipe is special, just like my daughter.”

Does your family have a recipe that has special meaning?  If so, we hope you’ll share it on TheFieldPosition!  Feel free to email it to me at shannonl@lathamseeds.com.

After surviving several spring snow storms, many Midwesterners are eager for warmer temperatures to bring with it blooming tulips and song birds.  It makes me long to “defy Mother Nature” by setting a beautiful table with a cheerful, yellow bunny jacquard tablecloth accented with a centerpiece that Better Homes and Gardens claims is easy to create at home.

Someday I will try my hand at making one of the beautiful table arrangements that I’ve pinned on my “Easter board” on Pinterest! In the meantime, I’ll try something a little more “kid friendly.”

Yesterday I mixed up a batch of Bunny Bait as snacks for my Girl Scout meeting.  They loved it!  Actually, kids of all ages can enjoy this sweet treat.  Just think how it exciting it could be for little kids to set out “bunny bait” the night before Easter in hope of enticing the Easter Bunny to stop by and fill their baskets with goodies.  This recipe is so quick and easy that even toddlers could help by pouring in some ingredients like pretzel sticks, M&M candies or pastel marshmallows.

Making seasonal recipes and crafts is something that I’ve enjoyed since my childhood.  Tomorrow I’m looking forward to trying a Pinterest-inspired idea to dye hard boiled eggs for Fancy Edible Deviled Eggs.  I can’t wait to see the look on my relatives’ faces when they first see my egg tray at Sunday’s family potluck.  🙂  I’m not sure which they’ll be more disappointed about: the fact that I brought colored eggs or the fact that I didn’t bring my “signature” asparagus casserole.

Today I’ll share the asparagus casserole recipe with on TheFieldPosition.com.  Like most tried and true recipes, this one game from a church cookbook.  I’m also including links to some of my favorite brunch recipes in case you’re looking for new ideas, too.

Easter Brunch Ideas:

• Baked Apple French Toast
• Blueberry French Toast Casserole
• Asparagus and Ham Casserole
• Egg Casserole
• Danish pancakes

Jon Suntken and Tami Pralle’s shared passion for 4-H brought them together in 1979 when they were selected to serve on the Franklin County 4-H Council. Nearly 30 years later, they’re still preparing for the annual county fair and trekking to the Iowa State Fair.

“All of our children began showing bucket calves at the Franklin County Fair when they turned 5, and it’ something we did for 17 consecutive years,” says Tami. “This helped them develop a passion for showing and judging livestock. Our boys also have been involved in woodworking. Both of our boys entered the Franklin County Fair livestock judging contest in 4th grade, and two years ago they were on a team that placed second in the state for 4-H Livestock Judging. The girls have been involved in Food & Nutrition, Sewing, Clothing, Clothing Selection, Challenge, Working Exhibits, Photography, Needle Arts, as well as showing sheep and cattle.

4-H teaches and allows our children to experience many things that are important in life: work ethic, responsibility, how to start and finish projects, character development, meeting new people, public speaking, helping others and developing new friendships.”

The Sunktens have four children. Their 23-year-old daughter, Katelyn, is married to Ryan Borcherding. They live in Davenport where Katelyn is a teacher’s assistant at a daycare, and Ryan is employed with John Deere Information Systems as a Dealer Advisor. Oldest son Kellen, 19, is a freshman at Iowa State University, with a major in Ag Studies and a minor in Animal Science. He’s a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity, serves on the ISU Freshman Council and is a member of the Veisha Tournaments Committee. Kendrick, 16, is a sophomore at Hampton-Dumont Community High School. He’s involved in football, wrestling, track, 4-H, FFA and RCYF at church. Kirsten, 11, is a fifth grader at Hampton-Dumont Community Middle School. She is involved in basketball, softball, band, 4-H, and dance.

“We enjoy raising our children on a farm,” says Tami. “They have the freedom to play in wide, open spaces. They learn to get along while playing and working with their siblings. They learn responsibility from doing chores. They get to experience nature and gain an appreciation for God’s creation through the birthing of animals, as well as smelling fresh cut hay, silage and fresh tilled soil in the spring.”

The family resides on the Sunkten home farm, which will be recognized in 2013 as a Century Farm. Jon started farming full-time upon graduating from high school and worked winters for 12 years at Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds. Their diversified operation includes corn and soybeans plus a cow-calf herd and a custom hog finishing operation. For the past 16 years, he and Tami have worked side-by-side with the crops and livestock. They’re proud their children also are actively involved in the day-to-day operations.

Livestock judging helped the boy develop confidence when selecting their own calves, says Tami. They spend a lot of time researching genetics and sale cattle. They A.I. their own cows, and recently started doing embryo transfers to improve cattle genetics. All of the Suntken kids wash, clip, fit and groom their own cattle. In 2012, they were able to sell some of the calves they produced to other 4-H members.

Today Kirsten helps promote Iowa beef by sharing with us one of her favorite recipes for pot roast in a crock pot. Tami also shares a recipe for grape salad with an Irish twist.

Pot Roast in the Crock-Pot

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb. boneless chuck roast (lean)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 pkg. dry brown gravy mix
• 1 pkg. onion soup mix
• 2 cups ginger ale

Directions:

1. Put flour in a Ziploc bag, add meat and shake.
2. Put floured meat in a crockpot, keeping the extra flour in the bag.
3. Next add the package of gravy mix and the onion soup t to the remaining flour; shake together.
4. Pour the flour mixture into a batter bowl and add the 2 cups of ginger ale; pour all over meat in crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours.